Half Of Young Canadians Spend At Least Two Hours A Day On Their Cell Phone; Admit Being Addicted To Device: Poll Results

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Half of young Canadian adults aged 18 to 34 spend at least two hours a day using their cell phone and admit to being addicted to the devices, according to a new poll that examines the use and attitudes towards cell phones in Canada.

The Forum Research poll, which surveyed 1,408 Canadian adults, found that nearly half of Canadians feel smartphone makers are not doing enough to fight cellphone addiction.

“Do you agree or disagree that smartphone makers, such as Apple or Samsung, are doing enough to fight smartphone addiction?“ the poll asked. Only 6% of respondents agreed with the question as it was phrased.

In terms of daily usage, the poll found 34% of Canadians spend less than an hour on their smartphones; 27% between one and just under two hours; and 28% two hours or more.

Only 10% of respondents said they did not own a smartphone. Of average daily smartphone use of two or more hours, Manitoba and Saskatchewan respondents are out front at 36%, followed by the Atlantic provinces at 35%. Canadians aged 65 and over are least likely (only 8%) to use their smartphone at least two hours a day.

Survey respondents were also asked how quickly they responded to messages on their cell phones. Across the country, 48% of people said they replied within 10 minutes, and 71% said they replied in less than 30 minutes. The highest rate of those responding in under 30 minutes came in the Atlantic provinces (76%) and Alberta and British Columbia (75%).

Among age groups, 18- to 34-year-olds were tops, with 78% returning smartphone messages in less than 30 minutes. The poll was taken between January 22 and 24 in an interactive voice response phone survey and is considered accurate +/- three percentage points 19 times out of 20.